Getting out of the research room would be easier than Carissa had originally thought, at least at first. She’d always been a logical thinker most of the time. The room itself made little sense, filled with copies or bare versions of mundane items. None of which triggered when she tried to identify them with the Ocean Gateway System.
Forcing herself to forget all about any messages from Liam, she’d taken a knock to her emotions when she’d given the bare bones of her relationship and how she’d ended it with Matthias. For the most part he’d just nodded and told her that he had no interest or desire to further intrude into her privacy.
The communication device could have been another trick, granted that she’d already annoyed at least one of the Ocean Gods once. She knew with certainty that they were able to take items from her own reality and likely that of all players into this one.
It made more sense than trying to understand the physics or magic involved. Granted how much they hated technology and tried to brainwash her in the Deep Temple, they’d steal it, use it and waste it.
The items they chose were basic in nature or had been disconnected. She’d try and get answers out of the one God who supported her in his own strange way. He had an interest in her and she doubted it was because of her looks or personality, he had wanted the technology built into her but hadn’t physically or directly made a move against her person.
Waste of time trying to understand insanity with power. Even the sane one is mad.
Rather than try and solve puzzles or waste time searching a fairly generic room Matthias had searched through the personal belongings of the dead scientist. There had been wrapped up in the pathetic remains of his white coat, a set of photos of his family, a wedding ring and minor other personal belongings.
Carissa had packed it up and stored all inside her own spatial backpack. Matthias had insisted that the man’s belongings were meant to stay with him but she’d pointed them out that he’d removed them for a reason.
The fact that she’d been the one to kill his transformed, mutated body and he hadn’t fought back meant that she owed the man. This world might have been drowned in its entirety by gods from another realm but if there were survivors then she’d find his family if they lived and help them if she could.
Either way, it was her direct choice as leader of their group of two. The main useful item had been a key card, upon picking it up they had both received an immediate response from the Ocean Gateway System.
[Player-Candidate Group: Thassalaphobia
-Registered Access Key Card
-Security Clearance: Research Scientist Level 2
-Owner: Hua Pengfei
-This key card will grant access to select rooms and most common areas inside the Facility of Water Purification.
-Warning: Item holds three usages before security access is revoked. Applies to security checks.
-Warning: Requires redacted genetic trace to be operated.
-Temporary item. No ownership restrictions.]
‘We have a way out of here Matthias. There was never a case of a room without windows or doors, it’s been designed with security in mind. Are you prepared now6?’ asked Carissa as she waved the card across the plain white walls of the small research room.
They had worked out their own provisions, equipment and weaponry. Matthias had examined the statue before marking it and handing it back to her. It turned out that he had a decent idea of how magical items, or system provided items in her own view, could be altered and even ownership shared.
He'd asked her to hold the statuette and view it in her mind’s eye once he had finished scratching several markings into its base.
[Candidate Designate: Carissa and Matthias.
Gift Received from Player: Mike
-Second-Life Statuette/Altered.
-Will absorb medium amount of physical or mental trauma only.
-Single Usage only for group designate Thalassophobia.
-Self-Destruction Upon Single Usage.
-Item cannot be transferred or sold to other players.]
As it was, he'd made a change to the item which Carissa hadn't considered to be any option. Items were simply provided by the Ocean Gateway System and she'd taken all of them at face value and stored them away.
Carissa had promised to teach Matthias the trick that she had learnt of receiving messages and information from the Ocean Gateway System after they'd found a few sealed packs of lab coats inside one of the cupboards, tucked away underneath blank piles of folders.
Both of them had sufficient water to use for the trick as she had with the shower and towel wrapped around her face to increase concentration and focus but Matthias had warned her that they needed to save their own provisions and resources as the dungeon would likely only provide false imitations.
She made him do it regardless. After a few tries of soaking wet lab coats and disposable water bottles he’d managed to do a basic version. He could pick up the rough meaning of a message without it distracting him. Granted he’d picked it up fast than she had but then again given the stories Matthias had shared with her about his training as a child he should have.
What came across to him as simply training for a Knight Errant came across to her as focused abuse to turn a child into a warrior working on behalf of another Goddess able to deal with a large variety of situations.
After they had finished Carissa had verified the security access card from the dead scientist once more through the Ocean Gateway but was unable to force it to share any further details.
For all her efforts Matthias merely saw her sit there cross-legged as she intently stared at the plastic enclosed item but said little as he merely stood on guard, wary of further attacks.
'I'm still not having any luck with this access card. As a key card there should be a single point located for exit and entry inside this room. There should be another method. This place is limited to say the least, all we find is an escaped scientist turned monster who happens to leave a hole in the wall for us to enter. Unless, this room itself is the trap?' asked Carissa.
She'd waved the card across the walls both high and low trying to find a point to leave when the thought hit her that it was likely far simpler than she'd thought. The act of killing the rogue scientist was likely to be a far more difficult task if this dungeon was a higher level one according to Matthias.
The young man had taken the initiative to share all his items, telling her verbally the function and ability of each one even if they were mundane in nature. From her perspective clearly establishing themselves as the leader of their group of two had been a good idea.
He had responded well to authority and fully answered her questions although he'd been reluctant to share specific details about the Knights, his homeland of Avalon, the planet that it was located on and even his Goddess. From what she had learned he lived in a fantasy land, populated with genuine monsters and dungeons.
The Goddess protected them from major threats and other gods existed in his home planet although they belonged to those who resided outside his kingdom. Apparently, his place of Avalon was the only one where humans still existed, the rest of the world had been wiped out by portals appearing or some other cataclysm.
All in all, he'd be honest as his vows would allow him. In turn Carissa had discussed her home world of Terrus, the crimes of which she had been accused of committing and how her scientific efforts had eventually resulted in the oceans of her own world becoming monetised.
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When they finished talking and shared a little more food and drink from her own supplied foodstuffs which had arrived inside the dungeon as a gift from the Ocean God who Carissa now understood was called Oannes he'd followed her direct orders to guard the entrance to the room and warn her of any outside noises of threats.
Given that they were inside an Ocean Gateway constructed dungeon and one of intermediate difficulty it didn't make any sense that there were no other players around.
The voice of Matthias pulled her out of her own thoughts and she dropped her arm down holding the key card, keeping it clutched tightly by her side. Her own grey suit remained limited as she left her arms, head and legs unprotected.
'Carissa. I think we have an issue. There's liquid outside this room. As far as I can tell there's an invisible barrier holding it back but I don't know how long. The smell of it is wrong, it reminds of Apparently, when the alchemists in my home world remove traces of their experiments? from their workshops. Are you making any progress locating an exit?' said Matthias.
'In science, you learn to test and experiment when you have a question. Then you try it again and again to get an answer. The rest is education and learning. Stand back from that hole Matthias. From the smell you describe it's likely to be acid. I'm going to try and break through like the scientist did. ' Said Carissa.
An instinct that wasn't her own reached out towards her from the weapon, it was a mixture of hunger and desire to be used. She forced her own will on it reducing the instinct as it followed her intent. She still put her thumb against one of the sharpened edges of the bone-tooth club as a bead of blood drew out and was absorbed by the hardened grey material.
You belong to me. I own you. Edges, give me more edges.
As she focused her intention on the weapon to reshape itself the teeth drew back into the club and it rounded itself as she raised it above her head and smashed into the small research room wall.
Carissa had considered what properties her own bone tooth club held but according to the Ocean Gateway System it had one key item which she had appreciated.
Matthias had told her that his own coral based weapon felt unbalanced and awkward as he had tried to bond it with his soul but failed. The property his own blade possessed was to move with the intent of the wielder. According to him this was a standard enchantment but nothing special.
His own sword from his reality was custom-built and linked with his life force but he'd been told by the Goddess to use it sparingly as it contained a minor portion of her own blessed power.
Arrangements had been made with the Ocean God Oannes but it was sufficient for him to use a weapon provided by the Ocean Gateway System.
'You ate the grey liquid, even part of the organic components of that poor transformed scientist. Will you break what I tell you or are you a creature of your own mind?' said Carissa as she brought the altered bone tooth club directly down onto the plain white wall in front of her.
A mixture of white paint flakes chipped off the wall but she hadn't even dented it despite hitting it with a decent amount of strength a few times.
If the Ocean God Oannes favoured her so much then he'd likely give her more than simply her own food and drink from her base reality. She needed an edge in more ways than one.
Given her own technological implants were non-functioning and her physical abilities heavily reduced despite the presence of the grey liquid inside her body which had settled down entirely at present.
'Carissa!' shouted Matthias as he crouched down on the floor, a decent distance away from the hole in the wall but was observing it closely. His hands remained empty as he’d put his sword away but one of his hands kept twitching.
'I told you Matthias, just keep an eye on that liquid. As long as no traces of acid enter here then it doesn’t matter. This space acts as a safe room, as far as I can tell. I need to think for a moment, wait, come here and ready your coral sword. I need you to cut my hand a little. The walls here can’t be broken open, at least not with our present strength.’
She'd need to risk it when she had to or had further answers. Carissa had no desire to experience further pain unless necessary but the signs made sense to her. Matthias had altered the statuette by inscribing on it, why couldn’t she do the same with the key card provided by the Ocean Gateway System.
Yes, it was named as belonging to the dead scientist but she had been a scientist herself once in a past life. And if this was a research facility then she’d fit straight in, all she needed was a little effort.
‘No, we need to find something first. Or I’ll make it appear. I’m clear that mundane items with no real value are easier to secure here, the fact that you told me that this is meant to be an intermediate level dungeon and we’re starter level players tells me that someone either decided to cheat, boost us or there’s an error going on with the Ocean Gateway System.’ said Carrisa as she walked over to one of the open cupboards and slammed the door shut.
A tingling on the edge of her mind told her that a message was being sent to her. There was no pain inside her head nor any sense of anger of ill intent.
[Player-Candidate Group: Thassalaphobia
-A named Ocean God: Oannes has sent you a direct message.
Accept or deny?]
This was certainly a different experience for Carissa, she’d be used to the insane water gods deciding to force their own messages into their brain directly. Either being inside a dungeon was protecting her or they had another motive.
Her eyes flickered over to Matthias, she’d established a rough code with him which had been worked out when they’d shared enough of each other’s life history and story.
She’d ask him a question and he’d respond and if it matched with her memory of what she’d been told then she’d give him a thumbs up.
The same went for her as well. If he considered that she was going to be possessed then he’d do the same, they had worked out a few other basic rules along the same lines but for combat situations.
If both of them were to survive, he’d listen to her and she’d listen to him when they were in immediate danger. Both of them had strengths and weaknesses but Carissa knew in her heart that the only way to truly survive this game of mad water droplet gods was to grow stronger and gain allies.
She raised her hand in the signal which Matthias understood and asked him.
‘Matthias, your mentor was truly a kind woman who never did you harm.’ said Carissa as she flipped her hand to her palm facing up.
A look of anger shot past his face, almost faster than she could track it with her limited and diminished genetic physiology but enough remained in her brain for her to notice.
‘No. She was a callous bitch who beat me up enough but loved me and wanted me to succeed. A truly great women, the Goddess protect her dead fish eyes.’ said Matthias as he gave her a thumbs up.
Good enough. Transparency is a weapon.
‘Matthias, I have a message from Oannes. I’m going to try and display it openly but in theory it should only show to those in our group. Tell me if you can see it clearly. I think we have a way out of this room but you may not like it.’ said Carissa.
After giving one last heavy swing at the wall in front of her and seeing more white paint chip off and slowly drift to the floor she dropped her bone tooth club on the floor, opened her spatial backpack and willed it inside. The weapon dissolved into water and slid to her feet first, then up her legs and back and went inside the bag.
Having authority over her own personal items was a far greater gift that she had first realised, but she needed to adjust her way of thinking. More active and less reactive.
‘System, display the message openly for my group members only. Also, accept message from God named Oannes only. Block all other messages from his fellow rain droplets. Not that it’ll work but worth trying.’ said Carissa.
Watery words began to fill the space between them as Carissa began to bleed grey liquid from one of her eyes. Matthias's face crumpled somewhat but he kept his composure. He had given his word and bond to her as his leader.
The words washed away as a fake, giant cheap looking goldfish costume mask appeared in the air between them instead. It was partially transparent but the scales on it gleamed. The eyes were pure glass and reflected the pair as they looked on.
The voice was bubbly but firm, as though it was reading from a film script without a touch of menace in it.
‘Hey there my favourite pair of players in this entire game of gods. Some of your old friends decided to pull some stupid tricks on my submarine dungeon construct and given that their own liquid-container style gods decided to intervene I’m getting a little more leeway. Sorry, I’ll make it short. Check out the binder and vial of black liquid. I have to be honest with you, this place took me a long time to recreate and I love the mad science angle. Oh, and door open. All you had to do was drop the grey liquid on the door, or in your case cut your hand and add a few drops. That stuff is extremely dangerous but I’ll leave it to you to find out why. Matthias, your Lake Goddess says hello and play good at follow the leader. Here, has a quick dose of emotional and physical repair. You two need to power up and teach the psychopath group a lesson.’ said the floating goldfish costume head in the air.
The fake style image of the Goldfish Mask span around a few times before it vanished into a shower of bright golden dust which covered both players and the rest of the room.
As it covered their bodies, all traces of blood, flesh and tiredness left their bodies as they both began to stand taller, straighter as the golden dust settled on them and swiftly vanished.
Two pristine white laboratory coats wrapped and folded in plastic dropped to the floor in the centre as a bubble formed in the air and popped leaving behind traces of transparent water which almost immediately evaporated into the air.
A wall shifted as a security scanner emerged and a doorway pulled up from the bare wall revealing a large space filled with cells and walkways running on both sides, as a series of ceiling strip lights turned on one by one.
Then Carissa heard the screams before they rapidly diminished and the sound of them was cut off.
In her mind they had been so brief that she considered that she had simply imagined them or they had been a special effect designed to shake player-candidates a warning.
Nothing new to me.
Or they had been real. This place was meant to hold horrors after all.